Share
News

Opening Day of Paris Olympics Thrown Into Chaos by 'Coordinated' Arson Attacks

Share

A series of coordinated arson attacks have snarled rail travel in France on the opening day of the Paris Olympics.

The attacks took place at about 4 a.m. Friday, according to The New York Times.

French rail company SNCF said the nation’s high-speed train system East, North and West of Paris was struck by “deliberate arson attacks to damage [its] facilities” leading to delays that will last through the weekend, according to Politico.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the attacks were  “prepared and coordinated to hit the nerve centers” of France’s rail system.

“It shows [the perpetrators] knew where to attack the system,” he said.

“The consequences on the rail network are massive and serious,” Attal noted, according to Axios.

“Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” he said.

Will you watch the Paris Olympics?

SNCF official Jean-Pierre Farandou said arson attacks on cables took place at locations “chosen to have serious consequences, because with one fire, they hit two train lines.” he added, stating 800,000 clients were affected by disruptions.

“Coordinated acts of malicious intent targeted several TGV [high-speed rail] lines, causing major disruption to traffic until the weekend,” Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said.

The Eurostar Paris-London line has also been disrupted.

“Due to coordinated acts of vandalism in France, affecting the high speed line between Paris and Lille, all high speed trains going to and coming from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today,” Eurostar said in a statement.

Farandou said the attacks targeted “a huge number” of cables carrying safety information to those driving the trains, according to Axios.

Related:
Christian Athlete Hit With Lengthy Ban After Making Cross Sign at the Olympics

“We have to repair them one-by-one, it’s a manual operation requiring hundreds of workers,” he said.

Farandou said authorities “don’t know who is behind it,” according to CNN.

CNN reported a source it did not name as saying “these methods have been used by the far-left in the past” but “there is no evidence to tie today’s actions to them.”

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , ,
Share
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation